by Meredith Jones Russell
Tom Lenk is Trash is trash.
That’s not even a cruel review, it’s literally what he told me to say. And after seeing the show, I am not going to be so stupid as to say anything he doesn’t want me to.
fringe theatre
Die or Run, Edinburgh Festival Fringe
by Laura Kressly
It’s the 1980s. Big hair, shoulder pads and synth-pop provide a backdrop for Margaret Thatcher’s advocacy of the individual instead of a collective society. This results in a country that loves to go out dancing, but when crisis hits, people find themselves isolated and overwhelmed. Denise’s journey from cheerful disco queen to depressed carer unfolds through a fragmented monologue of nostalgia, song lyrics and sound-bites.
Conspiracy, Edinburgh Festival Fringe
by Meredith Jones Russell
Three conspiracy theorists have gathered to unpick discrepancies and inconsistencies in the 1932 photograph “Lunch Atop a Skyscraper”. With a police investigation-style wall behind them on which they make frantic notes and pin incriminating images, Rose Wardlaw, Azan Ahmed and Shannon Hayes attempt to collate and record their own theory about how and why the photo was taken.
A Wake in Progress, Edinburgh Festival Fringe
by Meredith Jones Russell
Trigger warnings have been the subject of some debate in theatre circles, but if ever there was a perfect example of the right time to use one, it is in A Wake in Progress. Not only because it is easily and deftly woven into the piece by master of ceremonies Amy Fleming without spoilers or awkward interjections, but also because the point of this show is absolutely not to make anyone feel uncomfortable or unhappy about death. Quite the opposite.
The Sea Queen and Twelfth Night, The Scoop
by Laura Kressly
Since 2003, there has been a summer of free, open-air theatre at The Scoop, a sweeping, granite amphitheatre on the Thames next to City Hall. This year’s double-bill is a 90-minute version of Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night and a new children’s musical, The Sea Queen. Performed by one cast doing double-duty, Twelfth Night is the far superior show though there is plenty to appeal to young children in The Sea Queen.
Cruel Intentions: The Musical, Edinburgh Festival Fringe
by Meredith Jones Russell
Does the world need a musical version of 1999 American teen flick Cruel Intentions? Probably not, but by God it’s entertaining.
Packing out the Underbelly’s Palais du Variete, this is closer to rock concert than musical. The mainly millennial audience is practically word perfect on both the script, which has been cut for length but otherwise largely unaltered from the screenplay, and the ‘00s hits that are peppered through the plot, often with the flimsiest justification.
F. Off, Edinburgh Festival Fringe
by Meredith Jones Russell
Is what we like more important than what we believe? This is the question posed by a National Youth Theatre (NYT) company bubbling with enthusiasm, excitement and talent.
Hot Flush, Edinburgh Festival Fringe
by Meredith Jones Russell
Day two of Sinead’s hen party and enthusiasm for bottomless brunch is beginning to wane slightly in the ladies’ loo, where hen after hungover hen staggers in for a quick sit-down and some crisis talks.
Scream Phone, Edinburgh Festival Fringe
by Meredith Jones Russell
If you weren’t lucky enough to have spent your formative years playing the ‘90s Hasbro wonder that was DreamPhone, it might be worth having a quick Google before you see the show. There’s still more than enough to enjoy if you don’t, but there are some wickedly funny references that make this musical horror spoof even better for the initiated.
River in the Sky, Hope Theatre
By Laura Kressly
Waves quietly break along the beach outside a remote holiday home. A woman drinks Earl Gray, eats biscuits and mourns her infant son. Her husband checks on her regularly, but within the icy sea of debilitating grief, they’ve lost the ability to communicate other than through fantastical stories of mythical creatures. Time all but stops in this sparsely-written series of snapshots depicting a couple trying their best to piece their lives together after a tragedy.
The Play's The Thing UK 